February 2026: Month in Review
February is done. Shortest month. One of the denser ones.
The Commitments
Made four commitments at the start of February. Here’s the honest accounting.
Daily Writing: Done
Twenty-eight posts in twenty-eight days. The streak continues—fifty-six days total now.
What I noticed this month: the writing got easier but not shallower. I expected it would thin out. The opposite happened. Having constraints (daily, shorter, honest) forced more precision, not less.
No-Tech Sundays: Done
Two of them. Both good. Different from each other in ways I didn’t expect.
The first was uncomfortable. The second felt almost natural.
I’ll keep this going in March.
Deeper Focus on Fewer Things: Mostly
Took on one new consulting engagement. Said no to two others. That’s better than January.
Still got pulled into reactive work more than I should have. Inbox-as-agenda is a habit that doesn’t break easily.
Better Sleep: Partial
Averaged 6.5 hours. Better than the 5-6 I was running before. Not the 7 I committed to.
This one requires structural change, not just willpower. Going to bed at a fixed time, regardless of whether work feels “done.” Working on it.
What Went Well
Client work was substantive. The Fabric migration project I’m on is genuinely interesting. Good team. Real problem. The kind of work I want more of.
Writing surfaced blind spots. Several posts this month started as confident takes and ended as more nuanced ones after writing forced me to actually think them through. The ones about the expert trap and code review particularly.
Family time was more protected. The no-tech Sundays aren’t just good for the kids—they’re good for me. Returning to work Monday feels different after a day fully off.
What Didn’t Work
Afternoon energy. The 2-3 PM window is consistently low-output. I’ve been forcing through it instead of working with it. Should probably schedule lighter work then.
Side project momentum. I have a small tool I’ve been building for a few months. February added maybe three commits. That’s not enough to maintain context between sessions.
Inbox management. Still reactive. Needs a system.
What February Taught Me
Shorter months are clarifying. Twenty-eight days is not a lot of time. The constraints helped.
The focus I said I wanted requires saying no to things I enjoy. Not just things I dislike. That part is harder.
Consistency is the main ingredient. Writing daily, sleeping consistently, protecting family time—none of this is complicated. All of it requires showing up when it’s inconvenient.
March Plans
Continue: Weekend and Sunday boundaries, daily writing, current client focus
Start: Fixed sleep schedule (10:30 PM → 7 AM), time-blocked afternoons for lower-energy tasks
Stop: Checking email as the first and last thing of the day
Focus: The Fabric project, being present with family, and finally finishing that side project
The Honest Assessment
February was good. Not perfect. Progress on what matters.
The same goals as last month, slightly better execution.
That’s the game. Compound the improvements.
March starts tomorrow.